In this episode I talk with Matthew Taylor. Matt is a portfolio manager with over 20 years of experience in the financial industry. We discuss how Matt became interested in finance & economics, Bell Labs, Matt's time as a consultant in the Utilities industry, investing during the Russian default & Asian currency crisis, private equity, hedge funds, the business of AI and book recommendations. Hope you enjoy!

CONNECT:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrian-dolinay-frm-96a289106/

GitHub: https://github.com/ad17171717X: https://twitter.com/DolinayG

Odysee: https://odysee.com/@adriandolinay:0

Medium: https://medium.com/@adriandolinay

PODCAST:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-aspiring-stem-geek/id1765996824

Audible: https://www.audible.com/podcast/The-Aspiring-STEM-Geek/B0DC73S9SN?source_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp

iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/202676097/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/60dPNJbDPaPw7ru8g5btxV?si=26e034e416f446d8

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:

From Third World to First: The Singapore Story

The Idea Factory by Jon Gertner

Stuck by Yoni Appelbaum

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

|-Video Chapters-|

0:00 - Intro

1:34 - Growing up in an Academic family

2:48 - Bell Labs

6:02 - Matt's initial interest in Finance & Economics

11:05 - Studying Economics in Swarthmore College

12:25 - Philadelphia's Rise & eventual struggles with deindustrialization

15:04 - Matt's time in the Electric Utility industry

19:04 - The financial/economic regime during the 1990's

23:30 - China's Manufacturing Sector

26:40 - Software as the driver of manufacturing

28:04 - Value investing during the Dot Com Bubble bust

31:37 - Portfolio Management

35:45 - Finance from different perspectives

38:38 - Innovation in South East Asia

40:03 - Private equity, hedge funds, venture capital

50:55 - The new buzz word in finance

52:25 - The Business of AI

57:41 - Natural gas and other energy sources

1:03:35 - Real estate

1:06:45 - Interest rates and manager performance

1:10:50 - The GameStop Episode

1:17:13 - Financial market shock of April 2025

1:20:40 - Automation in manufacturing

1:22:58 - China exports of electric vehicles

1:24:20 - Matt's trip to the Galápagos Islands

1:26: 45 - Matt & Adrian's Book recommendations

1:32:20 - Matt & Adrian's news source recommendations

1:34:03 - Conclusion